Travel hair dryer &/or flat iron

Almost every place you might consider staying provides a blowdryer. In multiple trips to Europe I have only NOT had one once. If you're trying to pack light check with your hotels to see if they have them.

I've not been in a hotel in Europe that didn't have a hair dryer in the room, or one at the front desk...so you probably don't need to pack that, but you can take any flat iron you like. If you have an expensive Chi brand, just go to Target and buy a $25 for your travels. I certainly wouldn't spend big bucks for a "travel" flat iron. Just make sure you pack your electrical adapter.
All the new electronics will be dual voltage.

I agree, most places do have blowdryers,, but they mostly suck,, weak, and weird( often seem to be these hoses you hold onto that get hot,, but not strong enough air flow to dry hair quickly) . I tend to bring one, a small cheapo I got at Walmart( dual voltage) and an adaptor. In some older hotels I am leary of wiring, so will try and use the blow dryer thats there and see if it will do,, but I must blow dry so its not an option to not bring one. I am lucky that my hair is not super thick( can't believe I said thats lucky) so I just have a cheapo straightener. I travel light too, but a girl has to draw the line somewhere. I can wear the same slacks three days in a row, but my hair has to look decent thats that..

Check your local Marshall's, TJ Maxx. I see these mini flat irons all the time.

I bought a Vidal Sassoon travel blow dryer at Walmart - with two voltages for 9.99. It folds and is about 5 by 7 inches. It's pretty light and at that price I'm prepared to abandon it at the end of my trip if I need those cubic inches for some new treasure.

We were advised by our hairdresser to buy our hairdryer once in Europe. We did and it worked great. Small, inexpensive, and no worries about electricity. It is true that many hotels do furnish them now.

Last year in Europe I used the blow dryers provided by the hotels and purchased a Conair flat iron (the Breast Cancer pink one) that was listed as dual voltage. I had no problems with it. I also used a very cheap Conair curling iron with no issues. It's also relatively small. I'm not sure if they are still selling that particular model but I would check for dual voltage. I traveled in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy.

Thanks for a few suggestions. I don't think my current flat iron indicates dual voltage. Where would I find that info to know for sure? If was an option, would it be pretty obvious? I know most hotels have hair dryers...my experiences with those is that they are not very powerful so I was hoping for some suggestions for one to bring along anyway. If anyone else has thoughts, I'd welcome them!

If your flat iron were dual voltage there would be a switch on it to change from one voltage to another.

I agree about buying a hair dryer and flat iron in Europe. I've been lucky so far with hotel hair dryers so don't pack one.

Last fall in London, I bought a flat iron for 8 GBP at a Superdrugs store in London. It's not dual voltage, but that's fine by me, it's my Euro flat iron, works fine, and didn't cost much. It will only need a plug adapter to be usable in other European countries (and the rest of the world that runs on 220/240 V.)

Superdrugs is a chain; I found their prices on hair dryers and flat irons to be better than the ones at Boots stores. I assume there are discount chain/drug stores in other European countries where you could find a flat iron for a decent price.

BTW, I do own a small dual-voltage hair dryer, and I would pack it if concerned about what my hotels will be providing.

Thank you for the suggestions! I have found a dual voltage travel hair dryer that looks great. And after reading the comments about purchasing a flat iron in Europe, I did some checking. I learned that a Sephora is just a couple blocks away from our hotel in Paris, so I plan to purchase a flat iron when I get there. Thanks again!